MARTA LAUNCHES REAL-TIME PARKING TRACKER SITEAS RIDERSHIP SURGES

Atlanta’s Multi-modal Transportation System Expands Service in Wake of I-85 Bridge Collapse

ATLANTA— In an ongoing effort to help ease the morning commute, the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) will roll out a web-based tracking tool Monday. The new system will provide up-to-the-minute capacity updates for ten parking facilities across the MARTA rail system. “The launch of this real-time parking platform enables riders to plan their morning commutes to our various stations that have been near or at capacity since the I-85 bridge collapse,” said MARTA General Manager and CEO Keith T. Parker. “With the increase in ridership, it is imperative that we look to enhance our communications to help make everyone’s commute as worry-free as possible.”

The site will provide real-time updates Monday through Friday, 6-10 a.m. for ten of our busiest parking facilities—including North Springs, Sandy Springs and College Park. Periodic updates will be made throughout the business day. The new MARTA parking webpage is located at www.itsmarta.com/parking and will go live Monday, April 10, 2017 at 6 a.m. Customers can also view alerts by following live updates on Twitter and Facebook under @MARTAservice.

To help ease parking congestion, MARTA strongly encourages riders to take advantage of ride sharing services, carpool, biking or use designated Kiss/Ride lanes. MARTA buses offer free transfers at rail stations and every vehicle is equipped with a bicycle rack.

“We are especially excited about our partnership with Uber,” said Parker. “The company is offering a 50 percent discount off their pool fare for trips to and from MARTA stations.”

MARTA: RIDERSHIP SURGES, RIGHT ON TIME PERFORMANCE

In the initial days following the collapse of a vital portion of I-85, MARTA ridership surged 20 percent system-wide. Breeze card purchases, as well as data from gate usage and parking operations, also signaled a strong uptick in ridership across the system.

“During the morning commute times this week, our On Time Performance (OTP) for rail service has averaged more than 98 percent, indicating that our trains are arriving on time and moving efficiently through the system,” said Parker. “We have operator-ready buses and rail cars on standby to quickly add more service during peak hours, as needed.”

Thousands of MARTA riders will be greeted again Monday by additional station agents and volunteers assigned to help first-time customers with everything from using the Breezevending machine to downloading MARTA’s free “On The Go” app to navigate the best route to their destination.

“MARTA employees and volunteers have pulled together to ensure our current and new customers have a great experience with us and are informed of the best way to navigate our system,” said Parker. “We are committed to delivering routine excellence for the long haul and we see this as an opportunity to earn everyday customers.”

MARTA customers can visit www.itsmarta.com to help plan their trip, call Customer Service at 404-848-5000, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. or email custserv@itsmarta.com with any questions.